Finding My Way Home
by AnnabethTonks
Summary: Modern-day AU. Anne travelled abroad after graduating from Queens, but after much insistence from her friends and family, she returns home. The only problem is that she needs a job, and luckily for her, an old classmate seems to need a nanny. T for safety. Slow burn
1. Chapter 1

The best choice Anne ever made was to travel abroad as a teacher. Sure, Avonlea was her home, but Anne loved teaching more than anything, and when she was offered the position to travel overseas, she jumped at the chance. seven years of her life was spent in Ireland at the request of an old family friend, getting tons of letters, emails and the occasional phone call from Marilla, Matthew and Diana. They all talked of how much they missed her, so, on the last day of school before summer break on her last year in Dublin, Anne nearly broke down. Long had she made the choice to return home, much to the chagrin of her students. Her students crowded around her and gave her goodbye gifts and promised to write and email as much as possible. Anne assured them she'd answer every letter and email they sent.

After sending them along there way with many a tearful hug, Anne started packing up her classroom when a fellow teacher stopped by. "Anne, dear," Milly never knocked, and this time was no different. "Is this really your last day?"

Anne smiled sadly and nodded. "I can't believe it. I mean, I know I promised Diana that I'd come home a long time ago but it still feels like I still have so much to learn here."

Milly smiled back, "oh, I know what you mean. I've been working here for almost twelve years and not a day goes by that I don't learn something new from my pupils."

"It's not just the students." Anne replied, hugging herself, "it's you guys too. All the teachers, the staff, maybe every person in Dublin. I keep thinking that this is a mistake. I love Ireland."

Milly laughed," and we love you, dear. But we're only one corner of the world. Go see others."

"I've already seen Avonlea," Anne nearly whined, making Milly laugh again.

"Go home, Anne, dear. I know you miss it. You would stay here if you didn't."

"I guess you're right."

"I know I am. I always am. Now, let's get you packed up and ready to go."

Anne nodded and together, Anne and Milly started packing. It took them almost 2 hours to collect every small touch Anne had made to the classroom, every book she's put in the library, all the photos she had up by her desk, and all the gifts her students had made over the years. In that time, some of their fellow teachers stopped by to say goodbye and give Anne going away cards. Some stayed for longer, helping to clean up, and some just dropped by. In the end, Anne was close to crying no less than seven times and actually cried twice. Standing in the empty, blank canvas of a classroom, was enough for the third time.

After loading all her things in her car and hugging Milly and the other teachers for the final time, and promising them all to write as much as possible, Anne took one final look at what had been her second home for seven years, she got in her car and drove away.

The loneliness set in even more when she got to her mostly empty apartment. She'd had most of her stuff sent home to Avonlea before her, and had had a packing party almost a month ago. The only things left were a couple of things meant to get her through her last weeks in Dublin. No pictures, paintings, or flowers were there to brighten up the place. The usual laundry, dirty dishes and unfinished sewing projects were cleaned up and sent home with everything else. For the first time, Anne was glad she was leaving the next day. She wasn't sure she could continue to live in this dingy and lonely apartment.

She had a quick microwave meal, typed a few pages of her story, then laid down on the couch she had sold to her landlord that was the only furniture in the apartment, and drifted off to sleep with only a little trouble.

The next morning, Anne woke to the sound of her alarm. Even though she had fallen asleep much earlier than she normally would've, the alarm was still jarring at 5 am. Her flight wasn't for a while but she liked to be ready. She still had stuff to send home ahead of her leaving.

She groaned while rolling out of bed. Jumping up, she rummaged through her suitcase to find a fresh pair of pants and a t-shirt. Grabbing it, she went to the bathroom and showered for the last time in this apartment. Once she was done, she put on her clothes and makeup, grabbing everything as she went and throwing it into her travel bag. She looked around her bathroom, making sure she had everything, before drawing a smiley face in the fogged-up mirror and exited for the last time.

Grabbing a smoothie she had been saving for this date, Anne tossed all her stuff into her bag and sat on the couch. It was crazy how much could change in a month. Just earlier this June, everything had been bright and colourful, and now it was a dingy apartment wit nothing except a couch, a bright, stickered suitcase, and a spirited red-headed girl. Anne sighed. She'd loved this place and now she'd never see it again. She could always come back to the city, email her friends and talk to fellow teachers once and a while, but this apartment, as soon as she stepped out, would be gone forever. The loneliness had set in again.

One last sigh escaped her lips, and Anne got up, grabbed her suitcase and left the apartment, dropping her keys on the kitchen island as she went. She took one long look as she left and closed the door behind her.

On her way down to her car, she was stopped once by a neighbour she knew well enough. They chatted briefly, hugged, and said a quick goodbye before Anne finally made it to her car. First stop, the post office to drop off the stuff from her classroom. As she made her way through the familiar streets, she let herself reminisce, bopping along to the radio. Dropping her stuff off was painless enough, though there was a bit of a hassle involving the shipping address, which was resolved quickly.

The next stop was the car dealership. Anne had resolved to sell her car for a flat rate, which she got. She thanked the employees and found a cab to the airport, where she was about two and a half hours ahead of her flight.

Getting through security was painless and sitting at the gate was boring, but by the time the plane at her gate was unloading, Anne was starting to get excited. Her home was only a flight away. She was practically bouncing by the time she was seated, though, due to the exhausting week that had transpired before, she had fallen asleep by the time the plane took off and didn't wake up until the plane touched down in Charlottetown.


	2. Chapter 2

Anne was jumping up and down impatiently as the plane unboarded. She was finally home. Her longing for Ireland was overshadowed by the fact that she was home and she'd see her friends and her adoptive family in the half-hour or so it took to drive home. Finally, she unboarded and made her way to the luggage carousel. The one for her flight had yet to start moving, so she pulled out her phone, turning off airplane mode and checked to see if she had any messages.

"Anne!" Someone called out, making the named look up from her phone. "Anne! I'm over here!"

Anne spun around to see her best friend holding a giant sign with her name on it in block letters and covered in glitter, "Diana!"

Grabbing her carry on bag, Anne ran as fast as she could to Diana. Seven years without her, a perfect kindred spirit, was almost unbearable.

"Oh Anne," Diana hugged her fiercely. "Seven years is far too long."

"Oh don't I know it. I've missed you so much."

"I swear, I've missed you more. You made other exciting friends while you were away and all I've had for company are the kids and my dear husband. I love Anne, Jack and Fred, but being a housewife gets awful boring when everyone around has left on some great adventure."

"Aww, Di. I'm almost jealous. I kinda wish that I chose to stay home. I loved Dublin so much. If I'd stayed home, I'd never had to have left Ireland."

"But then you'd never have seen it at all."

Anne smiled at her best friend sadly. "That's true."

"I think I see your bag, Anne. Go grab it and we'll talk in the car."

Diana had indeed spotted Anne's bag. She was lucky enough to have hers on the carousel first. She grabbed it and rolled it over to Diana. Diana took one of her bags and led her to the car, the two of them chatting all the way there. On the way home to Avonlea, they never stopped talking. Diana was excited to hear all about Dublin and her job. Most of it she had heard already in Anne's letters, but it was different with Anne there. Anne wanted to hear all about Anne and Jake, Diana's kids. She had missed both their births sadly and was more than willing to make time to meet her niece and nephew.

"They miss you," Diana said on the subject. "They don't even know you but Fred and II have been calling you Auntie Anne and they can't wait to see you. You better have brought them souvenirs."

Anne laughed, "you think I would forget?"

The drive felt like it happened in just seconds, rather than 30 minutes. When the two of them got to Green Gables, Marilla and Matthew were standing on the porch, waiting for them. They both came running down to meet the car.

"Oh Anne," Marilla said, taking Anne into her arms the second she left the car. "We've missed you something awful."

Anne melted into the hug. "I've missed you too Marilla. Seven years is a long time."

Marilla let go of her adoptive daughter and gazed at the young woman she'd become.

"We're very proud of you, Anne," Matthew said, as quiet as ever, pulling Anne into a hug.

"Aww. You're making me cry." Anne laughed.

"I'll take your bags to your room." Matthew smiled at Anne, taking the bags from Diana.

"Come inside. I'll make us some tea and you can tell us everything." Marilla said, grabbing Anne's hand and squeezing it. "Of course, you're welcome to join us, Diana."

"Oh, thank you Miss Cuthbert, but I must get back home. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Anne?"

"Of course." Anne dropped Marilla's hand and hugged Diana again. "I'll come over after lunch. Maybe you can help me find a job."

"Of course." Diana hugged her friend tightly, then dropped her arms and made her way to the car, waving goodbye as she left.

Anne watched her leave, waving back. This wasn't like the last time she left. She'd see her friend again tomorrow and maybe the day after. The loneliness that had followed her during her last days in Ireland had all but disappeared, leaving Anne contented to be home with her family and friends.

"Come in Anne," Marilla put her arm on Anne's shoulder. " Tell me everything."

And Anne did. After Matthew had come down from putting her bags in her room, Anne, Marilla and he sat in the parlour, drinking tea, eating biscuits Marilla had made and sharing stories. Anne, of her time and Ireland and Marilla and Matthew, of the going ons in Avonlea. Altogether, it was pleasant. Afterwards, Anne had a quick dinner before going to bed. She was exhausted due to all the travelling. The second she got into her room, she sighed contentedly. It was just as she remembered it. The colours of the setting sun filtered through the snow queen's gorgeous flowers, giving the east gable room a soft orange glow. Her bags and some boxes she had sent home much earlier sat, unpacked, but she was too exhausted to start unpacking so instead she changed into pyjamas and flopped onto her comfortable bed. She rolled over and fell asleep within seconds.

The next morning she awoke slowly. She could hear the rooster crowing, which meant Matthew had to get up and work, but it was a long time after that when she opened her eyes. For a while longer, she laid there, soaking in the warm sun and admiring her gabled room. She didn't get up until she heard a soft knock at her bedroom door. She slipped out of bed and opened the door to see Marilla behind it.

"Anne. You're awake. I was just checking because breakfast is ready."

"Oh! I didn't expect you to make anything. Thank you. I'll be down as soon as I get dressed."

After breakfast, Anne spent at least an hour unpacking. She barely had any clean clothes left so she threw a load of laundry in the washer and put on the only clean pair of jeans and t-shirt she had, and grabbed a quick lunch.

After texting Diana to make sure she could come over, Anne hugged Marilla, promising to be home for dinner, and started on her way to Diana's. The Cuthberts didn't have a car because everything they needed was in town, so Anne walked to the nearest bus stop.

It only took her twenty minutes by bus to get to the Wright household. The second Anne knocked on their door, the door was thrown wide. "Auntie Anne!" A young, black-haired child shouted, attaching herself to Anne's leg.

"Oh," Anne gasped, " Hi there. You must be Anne."

"I am!" Anne Wright smiled up at her namesake.

"Annie!" A voice called from inside the house, "what did we tell you about opening the door to strangers?"

"Oh, but daddy," the younger Anne pleaded with a middle-aged, dark-haired man came up behind her.

"No buts," the man centered on the older Anne as the younger detached herself from her leg and made her way inside. "Anne, it's good to see you again."

"Oh, Fred. It's lovely to see you as well."  
"Diana has been waiting for you. She's in the kitchen."

Anne followed Fred into the house, closing the door behind her and toeing off her runners. She remembered being there when Diana and Fred were looking at the house, though she missed the buying. She still remembered the way to the kitchen and made her way to it. The house was relatively clean, with the occasional toy laying around. The kitchen, on the other hand, was completely different. There were pots and pans and dirty dishes strewn all over the place. In the middle of the mess was Diana Write, looking a little stressed.

"Diana," Anne called out to her friend.

Diana spun around and a smile broke out onto her face. "Anne. I'm sorry about the state of this place. I need to make dinner and lunch in advance. We're heading out for the day. The kids need a break from school. It's not out here for another week."

"Don't worry about it, Di. How can I help?"

"Umm…" Diana spun around a few times, Can you… start washing dishes?"

"Of course," Anne plugged her phone in on the counter and started running the water in the sink. "What are you making."

"Soup. But of course, everyone has their own choices as to what can and can't go in the soup. Annie won't eat onions, Jack is allergic to beans, Fred won't eat spinach or kale. It's a nightmare having to make four different soups."

Anne laughed. "Suddenly I'm not sorry I worked instead of starting a family."

Diana laughed as well. "It's not so bad. I love my family. If I didn't, I would make one soup and tell them all to suck it up."

The girls fell into peels of laughter.

"Speaking of working," Diana started after their laughter had subsided, "do you have a job lined up? I don't know if the Avonlea school would accept you unless you took a French immersion position, but I know there are positions available in Charlottetown. I started asking around once I heard you were coming back."

"Oh Di, you know my french is abysmal. And I can't get to Charlottetown. It'll probably take me ages just on the bus."

"I could ask around a little more. Maybe you could find a spot at the Avonlea school. It _is_ the end of the semester. You could always try and edge your way in. Someone as well travelled as you would probably be highly requested."

"I might be able to. I don't know Diana." Anne stopped doing dishes and turned to her friend. "I think I want to try something new. Still with children if I can manage it. I've taught for seven years and I always wanted to try all sorts of things as a kid."

Diana looked up from the vegetables she was cutting. " Well some rumours were going around," she trailed off.

"About what?"

"Gilbert Blythe is recently widowed." Diana started slowly, "it's been about a year now."

Anne nodded slowly, "I heard. Didn't he just finish his doctorate?"

"He did," Diana went back to chopping vegetables, "He has three daughters, and according to rumours, he's looking for a nanny. He can't handle the three of them and his full-time job."

"I imagine it was easier when they were in school."

"I imagine so. Maybe you should pay him a visit. I see him around the kids' school so I can put in a good word for you."

Anne hummed and went back to cleaning dishes. "Give me his number and I'll call him up."


	3. Chapter 3

The girls chatted more about Dublin and Avonlea respectively while cooking and cleaning. Anne was thrilled to hear all about who was still around and hadn't moved away from their small town. She was thrilled to hear that almost their whole story club was still in Avonlea, save for Cole, who still lived in Charlottetown but visited often enough.

"He loves surprising the kids," Diana explained, helping Anne finish off the dishes. "He and his new boyfriend come over once and a while and give the kids gifts. We actually spent Christmas in Charlottetown with them. They spoiled them too much."

Anne laughed, "are they going to adopt? I remember Cole wanting kids."

"I think so," Diana replied. " You know what? We should get the story club back together, at least once. They would love to see you again."

"Oh Di," Anne gasped, dropping the spoon she was cleaning in the sink, completely caught up in her imaginings, making soapy water splash everywhere. "I can just imagine. I'll ask Marilla if we can host a small party at Green Gables. We can talk and read the stories we've written in the last couple years. I can make cake or scones and maybe we can have dinner. Marilla loves you and Cole especially. I'm sure she wouldn't have a problem with it. At the very least, I'd love to meet Cole's new boyfriend."

Diana smiled at her friend while wiping the soapy water that had splashed everywhere. She was glad that Anne was back. There was something special about her stories and ideas "I'd have to ask Jane and Ruby but I'm sure they'd be all for it. And Cole will absolutely be in."

As Anne talked more about what the plan would be for story club day, she and Diana finished the soups and cleaned up the kitchen until it was spotless. By the time they were done, it was almost dinner time so Anne ended up staying over for dinner at the Write household, during which she gave Anne jr. and Jake their gifts from Ireland. Anne got a bright green t-shirt with shamrocks all over it and a stuffed sheep. Jake got a Turkish delight candy bar and a toy sword and crown from one of Ireland's castles. Diana and Fred also got smaller gifts; Diana, a small scrapbook of Anne's photos that she thought Diana would want to see and Fred, a bottle of authentic Guinness.

The chatter was pleasant enough, and after, Anne helped clean up. The family hung out in the living room, all talking with Anne about her adventures in Ireland until 7:30.

"Come on kids," Diana said, standing. "It's bedtime."

"Aww," the kids chorused.

"Now, now," Fred said in response, "you've had plenty of excitement for the day. And we all have a big day tomorrow."

"Can Auntie Anne put us to bed?" Jake pipped up.

Anne, Fred and Diana shared a look. Anne shrugged without breaking eye contact with the other adults, "I'm okay with it if your parents are."

"I don't see why not," Diana replied.

"I need to get some work done anyway," Fred added, standing as well.

"Yay!" Anne jr. cried, jumping up and grabbing older Anne's hand and leading her to the stairs. Jake ran after, grabbing older Anne's other hand.

Diana followed the trio upstairs to the bathroom, where the kids dropped older Anne's hands.

"Can you run our bath?" Anne jr. asked, "It can't be too hot. Or too cold."

Anne smiled at Diana, "How about I let your mom do that for you? She knows better what temperature you like. I'll help you guys pick some pyjamas to wear."

"Okay!" Anne jr. started to bounce. "I want to show you my unicorn pyjamas."

Anne was then dragged into the kids' bedroom where they both immediately pulled out the pyjamas they wanted to wear. With some help from Diana, she got them both into the tub, scrubbing them with soap and playing with their bath toys with them. After the bath, Anne brushed Jake's teeth and Diana helped Anne jr. with hers. The kids then dragged Anne to their bookshelf and both requested a book to be read before they slept. Anne and Diana tucked the two of them in and Anne read the stories.

"...And then the frog went home happy, for he finally had a friend," Anne finished, closing the book and starting to stand.

"Wait," Jake said, tugging on the sweater Anne was wearing, "one more story."

"It's time for you guys to sleep," Anne said, leaning down to kiss Jake on the forehead.

"Okay, but one more story," Anne jr. said. "What about Ireland? Can you tell us about Ireland?"

Anne caved slightly. "Maybe a little. But not much. You need to sleep so you can grow up strong and have your own adventures. What would you like to hear?"

"Everything," the kids said together, looking up at Anne intently.

For the next 20 minutes, Anne explained the castles she visited and the history of Ireland to two adoring kids, hanging on to every word. She only stopped when she glanced at the clock and realized that it had been 20 minutes and not five like she had originally planned. She finally wished them goodnight and headed downstairs where Diana and Fred were chatting quietly. Anne joined the discussion, after apologizing for keeping their kids up but they waved her off.

"They suck you in that way." Diana explained, "you have no idea how many times I've read them a few stories. They're very convincing."

By the time Diana and Fred went to bed, it was far too late for Anne to take the bus home to Green Gables so Diana let her crash in the spare bedroom. This used to happen all the time when the girls were younger. Because Anne never had a car, sometimes Anne would overextend her stay so she could stay over at the Barry's and have a sleepover with Diana It was nice to feel like a teenager again.

The next morning Anne woke up early. Diana was already up as well so she drove Anne after much convincing. They chatted the whole way there. Anne was pleased that even after all this time they both easily picked up where they left off in their friendship. When the two of them got to Green Gables, Anne made sure to remark this to Diana, who agreed vehemently and the two friends hugged.

Marilla had started breakfast when Anne got in.

"I'll help with that, Marilla," Anne called behind her, jumping up the stairs. "I'll change and be right down.

Anne got in her gabled room and changed quickly, but before she jumped back down the way she came, she searched through her contacts for a long-forgotten classmate. It took her a while, but eventually, she found Gilbert in her contacts as 'Rival' and promised herself she would change it later. For now, she settled for sending him a text.

**YOU**

Hey gilbert I just got back from ireland. Want to catch up maybe?


	4. Chapter 4

Anne didn't get a reply until that evening. She was curled up in her room with a book when her phone, which was charging across the room beeped at her, announcing the message.

**Rival**

Hey. It's been so long since we talked. Yeah definitely. I have a break at about 4:00 tomorrow. There's a small cafe by the hospital that I have dinner at sometimes. Do you want to meet me there?

Anne smiled.

**You**

Sure that sounds great!

Something about receiving this text reminded her of how much she missed her biggest challenger in school. In high school, she had been so certain that they would never become friends but when they were at Queens together, her resolve slowly faded and by the time she graduated and left for Ireland, she would have called him a close friend. They had kept up a sporadic correspondence but after a few years they started to lose touch and by the time she was planning to return to Avonlea, he wasn't on the list of people she told. Even when his wife had died, she heard second hand, through Diana, who, while not being all that close to her, went to her funeral for Gilbert's sake.

Her phone beeped in her hand again.

**Rival**

Okay, I'll send you the address.

**You**

(:

Clicking the off button on her phone and throwing it on her bed, Anne was suddenly struck by the realization that she wasn't sure what she was going to wear. All the stuff she had washed was for comfort. She hadn't planned on looking for a job so early. But why should Gilbert care about what she was wearing? It's not as if he had ever taken notice of her in the first place. They were just meeting as friends and the stupid schoolgirl crush she had had on him and had tried her best to repress was gone. She suddenly felt very self-conscious.

She decided to do laundry. She picked out the clothes that she usually wore in the classroom, comfortable but professional. She wasn't sure exactly what she wanted to wear so she threw in a whole bunch and figured she'd decide in the morning. Because she was going to meet a potential new employer, she told herself. She had to look professional. Not because she was going to meet Gilbert. She would've done this regardless of who she was going to meet.

After throwing her stuff in the wash, she sat back down to read. It was a good book. Not ten minutes ago it had her attention so fully that she had almost missed the text alert. Now, however, she found herself reading the same words over and over again. This was stupid. By the time she had caught herself staring at the same word, her thoughts lost in space, for the third time, she gave up. She put the book down and decided to start going through the stuff her students had given her and figure out where to put all of it. She wasn't sure how Marilla would like it if she papered the walls of her room in children's drawings. It was mindless enough, but not so mindless that her thoughts wandered anywhere except Ireland.

Her distraction didn't last long, however. Her phone beeped at her again, another text from Gilbert, with the address of the cafe. Anne sent a quick 'thx'. She plopped down on her bed next to her phone and started staring at the roof. At this point, Anne gave up trying to think of other things and let herself wonder what they were going to talk about, what the cafe was like, and what he was going to be like after all these years apart. She didn't realize how late it was and how tired she was. Slowly, without meaning too, Anne drifted off into a sleep filled with dreams of things that might have happened if she hadn't been too afraid to say something to her crush when she was younger.

The next morning, Anne awoke slowly. The sun filtering through the snow queen's leaves was a nice sight. The branches made criss-cross patterns on the roof and while the wind blew the tree gently, the patterns moved almost hypnotically. Anne was lying on her back, almost exactly in the same position as she had been the night before, one hand behind her head, the other on her stomach, legs crossed, with one foot flat on the floor. She was still wearing jeans and a t-shirt and had her hair up in a very messy high ponytail. It was a wonder at all that she was able to fall asleep. She's certain that her jeans are going to leave a mark on her hips in the way they're pushing into her hips.

Sighing, she sat up and let her hair out of the ponytail. It took a little bit because some strands were wrapped around the elastic. She was not looking forward to brushing out all the tangles. She grabbed her brush that was sitting on her bedside table and started detangling slowly. In her mind, she was trying to remember what she had dreamt about. She knew she had dreamt but what made up those dreams, she wasn't quite sure. She had a feeling that a certain black-haired man was part of it but she shook the thought. Even if he had been a part of her subconscious, it was just because she had been thinking about him the night before.

It took her about 15 minutes to get through all the tangles. She dropped her hairbrush onto the bed and picked up her phone to check the time. She still had at least five hours before she had to leave Green Gables but somehow it didn't seem like enough time. She had to shower and eat and finish laundry and on any other day that would seem like enough, but today she was jumpy. She sent a text to Diana, saying she had found Gilbert's contact in her phone but thanking her for the offer and started on her day.

First was breakfast. Marilla was almost finished making it so Anne set the table and made small talk, explaining where she was going later to the approval of her adoptive mother ('that Gilbert Blythe was always a good one. Calmed you out some and gave you something to work on.')

Next was laundry. Anne took the stuff she had thrown in the wash the night before and grabbed the stuff she wanted to wear and put them in the dryer. The rest, she hung up on a clothesline. While waiting for the dryer, she took a shower. After her shower, she put on a little makeup and some perfume. She restarted her makeup at least twice, trying to get everything to look just right, but she never really was one for makeup. Over the course of their high school years, Diana had tried to get her into it, but she had only started putting on makeup to seem more professional and had just gotten into the habit. As such, all her makeup looks were fairly plain, but they didn't seem to work in this instance. By the time she had finally finished, the dryer had long since finished. She grabbed her clothes and put them on, checking her phone for time again. She still had an hour, and an hour and a half if she wanted to push her luck. She glanced in the mirror and cursed under her breath, something Marilla would have very much disliked. Maybe it was her racing brain but nothing she was wearing was right. She didn't have time to put more clothes in the dryer so she guessed this was what she was going for. She had on a comfortably tight white shirt with a peter pan collar and a black pencil skirt. The dusty blue flats she had on matched the belt and her eyeshadow. She looked alright, but her outfit was really more reminiscent of her 'teacher' look. She sighed and wished, definitely not for the first time, that her hair was a different colour or that she didn't have freckles or that she was just prettier in general but, like everything else today, she'd just have to make do with what she had.

She snapped a picture of her outfit and sent it to Diana ('You always wondered what I look like in my classroom, well here you go' and then made up a bag; he had at least an hour of bus ride and Anne was not going to do it without headphones or a book.

Skipping down the stairs, Anne checked her phone. She was ahead of schedule. She might actually arrive on time for this for once.

Kissing Marilla on the cheek, Anne grabbed an apple as a snack and called a farewell behind her as she left for the bus stop.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Okay, so I feel like I have to explain a few things. Firstly, thank you for all those who are reading this, enjoying it, etc. This is my first published fic so it means a lot. Second, sorry for my extended hiatus, this website likes to mess with my documents so I don't always know when I'll get a chapter out or when the website will decide to delete my whole chapter for the fun of it. Thirdly, this chapter is partly written the same night as the last chapter, so it's happening simultaneously to Anne. I imagine it could get confusing. Anyway, enjoy!**

Gilbert's experiences with Anne Shirley-Cuthbert have been mixed. Even since they first met, their rivalry was challenging but entertaining. When they weren't fighting (which barely happened until they got to Queen's) was a brief respite where he could hope they might someday be friends. He admired her. Her charm and intelligence, her kindness and strong moral code, all these traits and more were endearing. She was so strong and self-assured, and he loved her for it. But like, in a friendly way. Maybe in high school, when he still wasn't sure who he was as a person yet, he might have had a crush on her, but not since then. He knew what Bash kept saying to him, but Bash was going crazy. All that time around his teenage daughter was really not doing him any favours.

Now is very different from high school, however. Even the first few years of Queen's was very different. After they graduated, Gilbert had gotten a girlfriend. Even then it had been an on and off thing, neither of them being particularly invested but enjoying each other's company from time to time. He was an aspiring doctor, she was planning on being a paramedic and they were very invested in their studies, with not much time to spare, so what could be more perfect? Part of the reason Gilbert didn't fully commit, according to Bash and some of his friends, was because he was waiting for Anne. He had to agree, but only partly. He wasn't waiting for Anne specifically, but someone maybe a little like her. His girlfriend at the time was great, she really was, but she never challenged him, never argued, never disagreed straight out. A little passive-aggressive and willing to switch opinions at a drop of a hat, their relationship was never really meant to last. Then Mary was born.

Neither of them particularly wanted to, but their families insisted that Mary couldn't be raised with parents who were apart, despite the fact that it really wasn't that uncommon anymore, so they got married, early in Gilbert's second year of Queen's. It was hard for both of them, juggling a baby, a part-time job and full-time classes, so Gilbert's wife gave up her dream of being a paramedic after much debate and looked after Mary full time.

After both of them had fully come to the grips with being married and the fact that they weren't likely to ever be married again, (they both had very conservative families who would never have accepted a divorce) they decided to have another kid. The same year Anne left for Ireland, Delilah was born. Mary, who was just starting to talk in full sentences at the time, was endlessly fascinated with her little sister, and Delilah was the same way when, 3 years later, Joy was born. Despite how hard it was paying for 3 girls and med school on 2 part-time jobs, Gilbert wouldn't have changed it for anything.

When his wife died, he was terrified. He had only just gotten his medical license and now he had to raise three kids all on his own. Even now, a year later, he would wake up, filled with dread about what he was potentially doing wrong. He had relied heavily on Bash and Delphine, who were usually both for taking care of the girls, but they were leaving town to visit Sebastian's hometown and wouldn't be back for a while, so when Diana sent him a text saying Anne was looking for work and could he possibly need a sitter or a nanny of some sort? he was so relieved, he almost cried.

It didn't occur to him that Anne was supposed to be in Ireland until he got a text from her after work, the evening after Diana asked if he'd consider her.

**Anne**

Hey gilbert I just got back from ireland. Want to catch up maybe?

He ignored the little flutter in his chest and chalked it up to surprise and Bash's influence. It took him a little while to compose the actual text; nothing he wrote seemed to be right. This should not be this hard, Anne was his friend and always had been. She had never judged him for his choices, had been in his wedding and talked him into going through with it when he wanted to back out. She had been at the hospital when Mary and Delilah were born, had offered help with them whenever needed, had sent postcards and letters to the girls because they found it endlessly fascinating. She was the first person he came to for advice. How had they grown apart so much that he couldn't answer a simple request to catch up? By the time he had changed out of his scrubs, he gave up and sent the first thing that he wrote.

For the rest of the evening, from picking his girls up to making and eating dinner and even to tucking the two younger girls into bed, he was hopelessly distracted. Several times, his daughters caught him daydreaming and he asked them to repeat themselves so many times he had lost count.

After tucking Delilah and Joy into bed and saying goodnight, Gilbert started helping Mary with her math homework. It was fairly easy stuff, especially considering it was the end of the year, but Mary was at the end of her rope for the day and Gilbert knew he was not helping her.

"Dad!" Mary startled Gilbert from his reverie for the third time in 10 minutes. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Are you even paying attention to me?"

"Yes," Gilbert shook himself for what must have been at least the hundredth time that evening. "Of course I am. I just have something on my mind. What were you saying."

Mary stayed leaning away from the paper, arms steadfastly crossed. "What is so important that you are getting distracted from your own daughter's m0ath work?"

Gilbert chuckled but then grew serious. "Do you remember Anne? I have some photos of her at the hospital holding you; I might've shown them to you."

Mary nodded slowly, "she's the red-head girl who's in your wedding photos. She sent us stuff from Ireland."

"She did. She's back now and looking for work."

Narrowing her eyes, Mary sat up a little. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well," Gilbert sighed and pushed one of his hands through his hair. He then took Mary's hand with a little resistance and said, "I think I'm going to hire her to take care of you guys. She's very good at it. She looked after you when you were younger if you can remember that."

"I can look after us," Mary insisted.

"I know you can. But summer is starting soon and you shouldn't have to spend all the time I'm gone looking after your sisters. This way you can do what you want and so can the others,' Mary started to protest again but Gilbert continued, "you're very capable and I trust you, but almost all day, every day is a lot. You've been doing very well when you girls don't have after school activities, but some days I'm gone for several hours."

"Then we can go to Bash and Delphie's place. They love us."

Gilbert dropped his head chuckling, "they do, but we've relied on them so much this past year and they're going to Trinidad for a few weeks this summer as well."

"Grandma and Grandpa's?"

"Not for the whole summer, Mary. They would love you but two months is a long time."

Mary slumped back into her seat, having straitened more with each protest. "You're going to hire her no matter what I say, aren't you?"

Gilbert let Mary's hands drop and smiled at her, "I am. This will be good for you, I promise."

"Fine," Mary said, crossing her arms again. "But you can't make me like her."

Gilbert laughed, "I wouldn't dare. Now, my little owl, neither of us are getting anywhere with this, so I think it's time for us to get to bed."

Mary nodded and started cleaning her stuff back into her backpack. She shuffled up the stairs and Gilbert followed. After helping her with her bedtime rituals, Gilbert tucked Mary into bed and kissed her goodnight.

He got up from her bed, turning off the light and moving to close the door but just before he did, Mary's voice stopped him, "dad? She's not going to replace momma, is she?"

Gilbert smiled sadly, but warmly. Mary tried to act tough to be a role model for her sisters, but sometimes, when it was just the two of them, Gilbert got to see her vulnerability. "No, owl. She won't replace mom."

With that, Gilbert closed the door and tiptoed down the stairs so as not to disturb the younger girls.


	6. Chapter 6

The wait at the bus stop and the following bus ride to the coffee shop took excruciating amounts of time. Even though Anne tried to read the book she had brought with her, she found it difficult to concentrate. She would read a paragraph or so and then get distracted by something out her window and put the book down, then, noticing she had put the book down, she would try and read some more before getting distracted again. After a while, Anne gave up and stared out the window, listening idly to her music and reminiscing about Gilbert's family. The last thing she remembered, Gilbert had gotten his full Medical degree. That had been almost 2 years ago. She knew that he was very busy (that had been his excuse when they had gone months without much more than a cursory hello, how are you?) and that raising 3 girls on his own must be extremely difficult, but other than that, she knew nothing of him. She didn't know much about the three girls either. Even after she and Gilbert had lost touch, she had continued to send them all gifts for their birthdays. Mary, the oldest and the one Anne had known the most, was quieter and shyer than her sisters and liked to read and write. Anne had sent her Irish folklore books and a signed copy of a novel by an Irish author. Delilah, the middle child and the one Anne had only met as a baby, was an outdoor kid. Anne had sent her plastic swords and other paraphernalia, along with a book of traditional Irish games. Joy was the youngest and the only one Anne hadn't met but was the most enthusiastic to meet her. She was a lot like Anne, according to Gilbert: imaginative, excitable and kind. Anne sent her kids books, crowns, dresses and other regal themed items and referred to her exclusively as Princess Joy in her emails to Gilbert and his wife.

Gilbert's wife, even now, was somewhat a mystery to Anne. She was the only part of the Blythe family she hadn't ever connected with, even slightly. Anne remembered being jealous of her when Gilbert had first introduced her. She was charming, charismatic and planning for a career in medicine, what could be more perfect for Gilbert? She was also gorgeous, much to Anne's dismay. Anne hadn't been jealous because she wasn't Gilbert's significant other and this woman was, of course not. She didn't like Gilbert Blythe, that she was sure of. But if she had liked him, in some distant alternate universe, Anne knows that she would have been quietly jealous of the couple of the century, knowing full well that she was not a match to this goddess and Gilbert, had this imaginary Anne ever spoken her true feelings, would have never felt the same.

Anne's thought process was interrupted by the bus pulling up to her stop. Anne stood quickly, calling a thanks over her shoulder to the bus driver, and jumped off gracefully, with all the ease of someone who had been riding buses for a long time. Once Anne was off the bus, she shielded her eyes to the sun, grabbed her sunglasses from her bag and slipped them on. Suddenly the world was bathed in a yellow filter and the shining June sun was much easier to handle. Glancing to her left, Anne glimpsed the hospital and turned on her heel to walk in exactly the opposite direction. She only had to walk a block or so to the small, local cafe.

Anne remembered this small cafe vaguely from the first year at Queens. They stumbled onto it by accident after they had spent an evening at the hospital because Anne had broken her arm falling off the Barry's lean-to roof on a dare. Gilbert had wanted some quality coffee to keep him awake as he waited for her, so he left the hospital and managed to find this little gem of a cafe. After that, it had become a tradition to go to the cafe together on long nights. They had gone when Mary and Delilah were both born, when they both stayed up until well past midnight studying for finals and whenever Anne had a particularly bad bout of nightmares. All of that had been so long ago and she smiled to herself, thinking that Gilbert still visited this place after all this time.

Anne reached the cafe and admired the familiar outside for a few seconds. There was a floor to wall window that looked into the cafe and showed the somehow both familiar and foreign setting. On the glass was a large mural that changed with the seasons. Currently, it was of a beach with umbrellas, beach balls and starfish littering the sand. The logo hadn't changed; a cup of something steaming with the words 'Cafe and Tea House' written in fancy, looping text. Anne stepped into the familiar warmth of the cafe and let her whole body relax in the calming smell of bread and other goodies baking, and the ambient sound of chatter. The establishment had changed slightly, replacing the off-white walls with black wallpaper and fancy gold and silver decals, adding several more plants and changing some of the decorations to newer, less worn ones. The seating plan had also changed, as they had added tables and chairs that hadn't been there before and had moved the ones that had been there. Anne was delighted to see that not only was her and Gilbert's table still there but available as well.

Anne scanned the cafe for Gilbert to no avail and mentally cheered to herself that she had finally been early for something. Anne ordered a tea and a small snack, then went and sat down at her table. She then pulled out her phone and pushed her sunglasses on her head to see better. She was early, but only by about two minutes. 'Still a win," she thought with a smile.

A few minutes pass. Anne gets her tea and food. A few more minutes pass. Anne checks her texts to make sure she got the time right. She did. Gilbert is late. A few more minutes pass. Anne has given up trying to watch people and picks up her phone to message Diana about what's going on. More time passes. Diana answers that it's probably an accident. Anne replies positively but is having a hard time believing it at this point. It's been almost half an hour now and Anne is convinced that he is not coming ao she resolves to finish her drink and leave. Just as she's about to do just that, she sees a very hurried, dark-haired man rushing toward the cafe, looking mildly distressed. Anne smiles despite herself as Gilbert Blythe enters the cafe, scans the room, spots her and approaches her table.

"Anne!" Gilbert says quickly, "so sorry I'm late. There were some problems with a patient that I had to deal with then time got away from me." Anne jumped out of her chair to hug him and most of his speech was muffled by her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it." Anne replies as both of them sit down. "I'm just glad you didn't stand me up." Anne then mentally curses as she watches Gilbert's face fall and realizes she said the wrong thing, like usual.

"You thought I would stand you up?" Gilbert sounded mildly hurt.

"No, of course not." Anne searched for an explanation that would suffice. "I really haven't had the best experiences in cafes lately."

'What? What does that even mean Anne?' Anne thought to herself before resolving to never speak again.

"Oh," Gilbert responded, looking confused, but he brushed that aside and started asking Anne about Ireland. He first asked about the tourist side of things, before moving on to school. How had she liked the classroom? What were the students like? What were the other teachers like? After he had exhausted his questions, Anne started asking about his girls, his medical practice and other happenings in Avonlea. It didn't even take them the 30 minutes of idle chatter to fall into their usual rhythm that Anne enjoyed so much. The ease at which they talked and joked to one another was pleasant and familiar.

Once they had exhausted their pleasantries, Gilbert suddenly became very serious in the way Anne had once joked was 'Business Gilbert.'

"So, Diana told me you were looking for work," Anne nodded in confirmation. "It's almost summer vacation here as you likely know and this is the first time the girls will be home all day, every day without…''At this, Gilbert paused as if to think about what he was saying. He then finished, "without supervision."

Anne nodded again, "I heard. I'm sorry for your loss."

Gilbert nodded, staring hard at the tabletop. "Thank you. We are too." Gilbert looked up at Anne again, smiled sadly, then continued like nothing happened. "I can't entirely rely on Bash to care for them as I was doing while they were still in school because they're travelling to Trinidad for a few weeks. Diana said you were looking to be some kind of sitter or nanny."

Anne nodded once again, "I am. I love teaching and working in a classroom but after seven years in the same place, I mostly want to try something different. I have a resume on my phone if you want it. I didn't have time to print it off, sorry.

Gilbert waved his hand dismissively, "you took care of Mary and Delilah before. I'm not really worried about your credentials. Just know, Mary is very apprehensive of this arrangement and the other girls don't know yet. How much do you charge?"

For the next 15 minutes or so, Anne and Gilbert talked hours and money and by the time he checked his watch and mentioned that he should probably get going, Anne was very excited to work for him.

As Gilbert and Anne were saying their goodbyes, Gilbert appeared to get an idea. "Actually," he said, "are you busy tonight? Do you want to come over for dinner and meet the girls again? I know you haven't met Joy yet."

"Oh," Anne replied, "I don't see why not. I have to message Marilla but I'm sure I could."

"Well message her quickly. You said you got here by bus, right? I'll give you a ride and you can stay the night in the guest room if you don't want to bus home after dark," Gilbert said, leading the way out of the cafe.

"Thank you for the ride but I wouldn't want to intrude. I've bused plenty enough that it shouldn't be too big of a deal." Anne replied, following him and taking out her phone as she spoke. She then sent a text to Marilla:

**You**

Im going to gilberts for dinner. I imagine Ill be home around 10 or 11

She got the reply as she and Gilbert were walking to his car that was in the hospital parking lot

**Marilla 3**

I will wait up. Try to tell me more in advance next time because I have made dinner for you.

**You**

Leftovers for lunch tomorrow :)

The drive from the hospital to Gilbert's house was pleasant, as they once again fell back into their old patterns. It only took about fifteen minutes from the hospital to pull up in front of Gilbert's house. It was an older farmhouse with two stories and an old cellar that had been turned into a basement. It had a fairly long driveway and was painted light blue. The house had been left to Gilbert when his father died, having been in the family for many generations. Gilbert had just let it sit there while he was in his last years of high school, selling some of the land to pay for the taxes on it and debating whether or not to sell it because he had been living with Bash and Mary at the time. He had moved there when Mary, his daughter, was born. Anne remembered the house distinctly as a fairly large, yet surprisingly cozy home.

After Gilbert had parked, Anne hopped out of the car and marvelled at the familiar location. Despite selling the majority of the land, the house still had a fair bit of property attached; more than enough, in fact, for the wedding reception that had taken place on the lawn Anne was looking at, at that very moment.

Gilbert led to the door and unlocked it. Anne followed him through the door and into the mudroom. She slipped off her backpack, hanging it on one of the hooks and toed off her shoes, pushing them, with her foot, off to the side. Stepping out of the mudroom, Anne entered the main living space, a large, open concept kitchen with an attached dining room and couches and chairs positioned in front of a TV. Also positioned around the room, were three, young, dark-haired girls. The most familiar to Anne, Mary, was in the kitchen, stirring something in a pot on the stove. Delilah, also familiar to Anne but less so, was sitting in one of the chairs in front of the TV and was watching something. Joy, the only girl not familiar to Anne, was sitting at the dinner table playing with dolls and wearing what Anne recognized as a crown she had bought for the girl.

Before Anne could do or say anything, Gilbert came up behind her, having deposited his bag and shoes in the mudroom and said to her, "let me introduce you."

Gilbert called to the girls, and they all looked up at him. Mary looked briefly happy, but then looked toward Anne and scowled, going back to whatever she had been making. The other girls, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to see the red-head standing next to their father. They both got up, Joy with more excitement, dropping her dolls on the table and running to her father to hug him. Delilah was slower, but followed after her sister, also hugging her father.

"Girls," he said after Joy and Delilah had both stepped back, "I'd like to introduce you to Anne. She's staying for dinner tonight."


End file.
